Life off the grid in the SW Texas desert. An experiment in sustainable living. NUMBERS AT THE END OF EACH BLOG POST: temp at 8PM,high temp,low temp,rainfall,wind conditions(CalmBreezyWindyGusty). YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/c/TheFieldLab
Daily live streams at https://www.youtube.com/thefieldlab/live

Saturday, July 4, 2009

fourthofjuly

Day off due to holiday...can't afford the triple overtime. Started off by sleeping in till 9AM. Spent the morning sorting through some piles of paper that have no place. Benita came in with a fly eating friend today. The little lizard managed to avoid getting squashed as he helped himself to the fly buffet around Benita's ankles.

Had the holiday special at the GrubShack...hot dogs with chili and a cupcake complete with a tiny American flag. Lounged for over an hour with some regulars then headed home to assess the day. Decided on a plan of action that included no work and a trip out to the swimming hole with Ryan and Mike. Checked the weather and saw some thunderstorms in the area to be aware of. The creek was just low enough to make it out there. Stayed a couple of hours then decided to head back as it started to sprinkle. I wasn't home more than 10 minutes and the Field Lab got slammed with a rainstorm. Got almost a half inch in a half hour. Apparently I got home just in time as the water started flowing and the dam filled up once again.

Had just enough time to try out the gifted gas powered pump from the Desert Rat of Lajitas. In just over 20 minutes I pumped 700 gallons into another tank. Nice to have almost 7000 gallons of water ready for the "yet to be completed" greenhouse...

The Fourth of July always reminds me of my days in the early 80's of living in Manhattan. Around the 4th, all over Little Italy and Chinatown there where kids on corners shouting, "Fireworks!" They would lead you through and old tenement building into a basement that was stacked to the gills with explosives for sale. These were also the days when I would frequently see John Gotti and his body guards and "associates" in the hood. They tended to have their "meetings" while walking around the block. I think that ultimately, it was FBI wire taps of his social club (just 2 blocks from where I lived on the lower east side) that brought him down. Those were the good ol' days...

Are you saying that the Field Lab doesn't have paid holidays, wow talk about being off the grid! Maybe you need Benita to do some "negotiating" for you. If she negotiates the same way she takes care of loafers trying to take part of her free snacks you could get anything you want.

Send some of that rain up my way, we're dryer'n a stale piece of popcorn.

So is that dam going to fill up with sand again? You should look into building a second dam, let the first fill up with sand, then the the water flows into the second one. also I would make that opening for the water to flow over the top much longer, you don't want he water to rush over, you want it to flow over slow and smooth, this will allow the sand to fall to the bottom.

I would like to comment about your blog, on my blog,If you give me the go a head, i'll write about you.

Wow, as a Native Son of New Jersey myself, I think you made the right choice getting out of NYC.... I'm sort of overwhelmed every time I go back to the city--it's so loud and filled with scurrying people.